BAA goes to Acas to stop airport strikes

MANAGEMENT and unions locked in a bitter airport workers' pay dispute are preparing for crunch talks at conciliation service Acas tomorrow in a bid to stop a strike which could wreck travel plans for millions.

Ground staff workers at six UK airports run by BAA, including Heathrow, voted three to one to strike last week.

The Unite union workers include firefighters and security staff, with Unite saying that BAA faces a "total shutdown" at the six airports: Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Only around half of the 6,000 workers balloted by Unite voted, but 74.1 per cent of those who did opted for strike action.

A BAA spokesman said: "We hope that we can quickly conclude an agreement, in the interests of the travelling public, our airlines and our staff, the majority of whom did not vote for a strike."

Any strike action is expected to have a huge effect on bank holiday weekend travel this month.